Chin up, Ok?
by NeoTyson
Summary: Peter Parker and Betty Brant have worked together in the Daily Bugle for some time. After a bad breakup occurs in Betty's life, Peter is there for her causing the two to become closer than they realize.
1. Unplanned Date pt1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel or anything I borrowed from other media.

**Chin up, Ok?**

_Unplanned date pt. 1_

It seems like another regular day at the Daily Bugle for Peter Parker as he enters the building to turn in the recent pictures that he took of Spider-man. The typical day at the workplace for Peter involves turning in his work which he knows not anybody can get the shots like him only for his boss to complain about how crap they are or go on a rant if it's Spider-man related. When it comes to his life behind the mask, Peter's life isn't fascinating, but he does count his blessing with one being the fact that he does have a job to help pay the bills.

Heading inside the office, Peter readies his self for the same old treatment that he receives as he gives his work to his boss J Johan Jameson. "Serious Parker these are worthless, your fired!" J.J shouts after looking over the photos that Peter took of Spider-man stopping the villain Vulture.

Peter pretends to be offended as the editor in chief of the Bugle and Peter's ally at the workplace steps in and says, "Jameson, you do remember that Peter is our only photographer right?"

"Good point, your back hire! Now get out of my office!" Jameson fires back quickly pointing at the door.

"Thank you, Mr. Jameson," Peter said casually before mouthing thanks to Robbie for looking out for him. Robbie gives Peter a thumbs up for he knows that Peter is excellent at his job and knows deep down. John wouldn't honestly fire Peter unless it was for something extreme.

With that said, Peter proceeds to exit the office only for one of his coworker to call out to him, asking, "Hey, Peter. When you get a second, I need your opinion on something.

Peter turns towards her direction and smiles, saying, "Sure Betty what's up?" Betty Brant is the personal secretary of the Bugle and like Robbie vouches for Peter when Jameson gives him a hard time.

"Well, it's a topic that I rather discuss in private." Betty points out, throwing Peter off guard.

"Um okay." Peter than gestures to lead the way to somewhere that they can talk alone. As Peter follows her, his curiosity starts to grow on what Betty wants his opinion on hoping that is nothing too serious.

Once they enter her office, Betty takes a deep breath before giving her explanation. "So before I tell you what I need help on, I should give you a bit of backstory which involves my love life. Ned and I ended our relationship this past month for reasons I'm not ready to talk about yet. So my friends encourage me to go out with them tonight. However, I need attire for the occasion if you feel up to help me decide. If not, I understand."

Peter blinks in shock and then relax once he processes her request. He couldn't believe that Betty's relationship had ended although he remembers her mentioning that they were having issues as of late. As far as the going out plans, Peter doesn't mind helping out since it would help Betty feel better from the breakup. "Oh, I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and Ned. I don't mind helping you out considering all the times you help me with Jolly o Jameson."

Betty smiles brightly at Peter's response for even if she did look out for Peter in the past, he isn't obligated to return the favor. "Thank you so much, Peter, and hey we hard-working employees need to stick together." She quips feeling appreciate by Peter as she continues. "So I have these two outfits in minds, and I want to know which one you think will look better."

Betty pulls up both attires from on the computer to show Peter so he can give his opinion. What she doesn't expect is Peter's reaction after glancing at the screen and then at her making him speechless.

"Peter, are you okay?" Betty asks with concern due to Peter slow response.

Unknown to Betty, Peter went dumbstruck due to after looking over the clothing his thoughts drift to how Betty would see in them, causing him to heat up a bit. Before today Peter had found Betty attractive, but with her being in a relationship, his mind never thought more of her until now.

"Yeah I'm fine, I think it got hot in here or maybe it just me. I would go with this one for I think you can pull that color off." Peter points at the red color dress for that one was the choice that he pictures Betty wearing.

"Aww, Peter that's so sweet. I was leaning towards that choice as well but wasn't too sure, so I wanted to get from a guy point of view, and since you are a gentleman, I trust your opinion." Betty compliments him while starting to catch on to Peter's unexpected behavior. For some reason, she found how he acted cutely but kept herself from saying out loud.

"I appreciate the compliment, Betty. Anytime you need clothing advice in the future I'm your guy." Peter jokes and points to himself, getting Betty to laugh, causing Peter to smile widely. Seeing Betty be in a better mood thanks to him make Peter feel proud on the inside.

With that said, Peter was about to let Betty go so he wouldn't make things awkward by just lingering until she speaks up again and asks, "Say Peter after my shift ends would you like to come with me to get the dress?"

Betty's offer to hang with throws Peter off guard even more. To keep his self from sounding surprised, Peter quickly keeps his composure and responds in a calm like matter. "Really? I mean I don't have anything specific going on with my schedule so I can go with you."

Peter mentally slaps his self for sounding lame, but fortunately for him, the Parker luck appears to be on his side for Betty brings him back to reality in a cheerful tone, "Great! I will see you at six than okay?"

Peter smiles softly as the feeling of excitement grows within him. "Sounds like a da... hangout to me." Both Peter and Betty slightly blush from Peter almost calling their hangout a date.

The moment between the two doesn't last long for they both jump from hearing their boss popping his head in the room yelling, "PARKER I DON'T PAY YOU TO CHAT, GET ME MORE PICTURES OF THAT MEANCE SPIDER-MAN!"

"Yes, sir on it sir!" Peter panics and rushes out the room yelling out, "See you later Betty!" in the process.

Witnessing the nerdy display gets a giggle out of Betty. "See you later Pete!" She calls out to him with Peter missing the satisfying smirk on her face.

TBC

* * *

**AN: So this story will be different from my previous Spider-man content for this will mostly focus on the Peter side of things than Spidey. The idea is based on a similar situation that occurred in my life, and I figure why not write a fic inspired by it while using Peter x Betty a pairing that is somewhat rare on this site much. The story is au, so it doesn't necessarily take place in a particular universe though I will say the Sami Rami version is the idea looks for the characters and both Peter and Betty are young adults past 25 with Betty being slightly older than Peter.**


	2. Unplanned date pt 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel or anything I borrowed from other media.

_Unplanned date pt. 2_

*Near the Daily Bugle*

While leaving the office, Peter's mind continues to stay stuck on the fact that Betty, in a way, asked him out. Even if it's not a date, Peter couldn't help but feel excited about the outing. However, the negative side of his brain starts to creep in, which causes Peter's excitement to drop some.

_"Get a grip Parker! Yes, Betty is single now, but that doesn't mean she is trying to hook up with you. For all you know, helping Betty will only be a one-day thing. Once she hangs with her friends, she will thank you for being the friendly guy, and things will go back to normal." _One of the bad traits of Peter is his ability to think less of himself self, unlike when he's Spider-man, his mind tends to let his positive side take over.

Sighing, Peter exits the building to do a short patrol as Spider-man before heading home to get ready to hang out with Betty later on. Betty, meanwhile, has more of an enthusiastic train of thought concerning her plans with Peter. While this would be the first time she and Peter would interact outside of work, Betty already found the photographer a joy to talk to and always came across as a gentleman when he communicates to her. Not to mention honestly, Betty thought Peter is an attractive young guy with his nerd like appeal but never thoroughly entertain the thought due to her relationship at the time.

_"I wish the time will go faster so I can hurry up and clock out."_ Betty blinks in shock over her thoughts just now. _"Wow, I didn't think I would be this eager to be around Peter. I wonder if he's thinking the same thing?"_ She gentle bites her lips with a smile before returning to her duties to avoid another lecture from her boss.

* * *

*Later that day*

After gaining some photos during his patrol, Peter quickly returns home so he can clean his self-up before heading back out to meet up with Betty. Peter's attire ends up consisting of faded blue jeans, a white button-up shirt with a light grey sweater on top. Once he finishes putting on his outfit, he checks his self out in the mirror and feels proud that he didn't overdress for the occasion, while still looking decent in the process.

"Alright, it's time to shut your brain off, go with the flow, and have fun for once. Here's hoping the Parker luck goes into my favor this time." Peter tells his reflection before heading out to his destination. To get back to his workplace, Peter takes a taxi since he has enough time and doesn't want to mess his clothes by swinging as Spider-man. Thankfully the ride there isn't bad since traffic isn't currently crazy.

Peter steps out of the vehicle and goes inside to not only drop off his new photos but to meet up with the lady of the hour. He walks over by J. J's office and puts his pictures in the basket when, out of nowhere, a familiar voice catches his attention.

"Peter Parker. Right on schedule and looking great." Betty Brant smirks while checking Peter out. She can't believe that this is the same Peter Parker, who works with her, appearing like a hot stud.

Peter slightly blushes but tries his best to keep his shyness from showing. "Thank you Betty. Since I had some time between our arrangement and getting these photos, I figure why not dress for the occasion."

"If I didn't know any better I would say you are turning this into a date, Mr. Parker." Betty raises an eyebrow as she teases him.

"I um." Peter starts to stumble over his words until Betty chuckles at his reaction.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you." She assures him, though, for some reason, if this were a date with Peter, she wouldn't mind that being the case.

At the same time, Peter starts feeling relieve over Betty's playful talk. "Of course. So are you ready to go? Not to rush or anything, I rather we escape before jolly Jameson ruins our plans for the night."

Betty softy laughs, having the same mindset on not encountering their boss right now. "I most definitely do not want to deal with his usual rants on Spider-man, so I say let's leave now."

The two co-workers leave together out of the office, not noticing the approval smile from Robbie, for he at times thought that Peter and Betty could be an excellent pairing. While Robbie is sure they haven't interacted outside of work, he has seen hints of possible interest between them. A few examples are like the way Betty would lookout for Peter by giving him heads up concerning Jameson or Peter trying his best not to stare when she's not looking. Out nowhere, J. J snaps him out of his thoughts requesting him, leading to Robbie to mutter, "Good luck Peter," before checking to see what the old man wants.

Since the mall isn't too far from the Daily Bugle, Betty and Peter choose to walk towards the place instead of waiting for a taxi, knowing how heavy traffic is now. Betty speaks up, first, asking, "So how is your aunt doing these days?" She recalls Peter mentioning his aunt and knows how important his Aunt May is and figures it would be a conversation starter.

"She's doing okay for the most part. I wish I could do more for her financially since she's getting up there in age." Peter answers in a somber tone.

"Aww, Pete I'm sure your aunt appreciates what you already do for her, but at the same time, I'm sure she would want you to live your life some," Betty responds in hopes of giving Peter positive thoughts.

"Yeah, I have been told that. Hard to do so since my uncle..." Flashes of Uncle Ben's death rushes through Peter's mind causing his body to tense up as well as him bawling his it with anger.

Betty quickly notices the shift in mood and automatically feels guilty and stupid for even causing the negative feeling that Peter is dealing with right now. "Pete, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up memories." She states, trying to calm him down.

Peter takes a few deep breaths that help calm him down. "No, it's not your fault. We were making conversation after all. I guess since my aunt is like the last bit of family, that I have active in my life, I try to take advantage of the time she is still alive if that makes sense." Peter thoroughly explains. He never entirely told Betty about his uncle's death other than briefly telling her at one point that he died, so he doesn't blame Betty nor feel she intention tried to anger him.

Betty's guilt gets replace with admiration over Peter's words, considering this is the first time Betty has witness the more severe side to Peter Parker, "You are the type of a guy that values family, which is a respectable trait. Don't ever change that."

"Glad that you think so." Peter smiles with his thoughts back focus on the women he is gazing at. Betty, in return, is lost in his eyes. At that moment, both look away, blushing due to realizing that they had stopped to talk and were closer physically than earlier. Ironically when they continue to walk to the mall, their arms become close to touching. Finally, the duo arrives at the place Betty wants to get her outfit, which is a clothing store name Century 21 and is popular in the area.

Inside the store, Betty locates the clothing to setup the attire she found online and shows Peter cheerfully. "Well, that was quick, for you were able to find the stuff just like that." Peter snaps his fingers to emphasize how fast Betty was with shopping.

"Lucky for you, unlike most women, I don't take long hours to shop for what I want. If I can, I will check online first then go to the place, since I tend to browse at certain stores I like at times." Betty expresses her shopping strategy proudly.

"Impressive, though you don't have to feel rush because I wouldn't mind waiting as you shop for I am a patient guy," Peter said honestly.

Betty could tell by his tone that he stands by his statement, and that surprises her a bit. "Seriously? Might have to keep a mental note of that information for future hangouts."

Now it's Peters turn to get caught off guard. He already had it in his mind tonight would be a one-night thing, but now she's hinting otherwise. _"Is Betty implying that she would want to spend more time with me? I must be imaging things."_

Before he can go into pondering more on her meaning, Betty gains back his attention, saying, "Let me go try this on so you can give me opinion with me wearing this okay?"

"Sure, I will be right out here." Peter takes a seat in the waiting area of the fitting room to wait for Betty to come with the outfit on. So far, the night has been smooth despite the short emotional moment earlier, so Peter hopes the Parker luck continues to remain on his side.

Betty feels the same way and feels comfortable around Peter. Having put the clothes she chose on, innocently, she decides why not put on a show. "Okay, give me your honest opinion." After stepping out of the dressing room, Betty poses for Peter, adding a twirl to show off how she looks.

As far as Peter's reaction, he struggles to get his words out over the first time seeing Betty in something drop-dead gorgeous. "Oh."

"So, you like it?" Betty asks, holding back with her hand on her hip, wanting to playful tease him over his cute reaction.

Peter clears his throat and answers appropriately. "Yeah, it's um very lovey on you."

"Aw, I love it on me too. Let me go pay for it, and maybe we grab dinner afterward." Betty cheers before heading back inside the fitting room. Before she closes the door, Betty glances back at Peter to messes with him, saying, "By the way, taking deep breaths does help."

"Very funny." Peter makes a face mocking her in fun though he has to admit he might need some water after seeing Betty in that hot dress. If that is to be his last time seeing her in it, then Peter is going to enjoy the moment while he could. A few seconds later, Betty comes out and goes on to pay for the clothes. Afterward, the two decide to walk around some more and chat some more until they make their way outside to see that it is late in the evening.

"Thank you for coming with me. I needed this after what I have dealt with recently." Betty faces directly at Peter with an appreciate grin on her face.

Peter returns a smile gazing into her beautiful eyes. "It was nice finally having the chance to spend time with you outside of work, so that's a plus you enjoying my company."

She chuckles a bit before asking almost in a shy matter. "Will there be a next time?"

Peter holds his composure so he can respond without sounding dumbfound at what might be a date. "If you like, I can have my people call your people, and we will make it happen."

"I will be sure to contact them." Making the first move, Betty wraps her arms around Peter's neck and hugs him affectionately. Peter nervously brings his arms around her waist to embrace back with both not wanting to let go.

Reluctantly, Peter and Betty pull apart as Betty softly says, "Then I guess it's goodnight, Mr. Parker."

"Yeah, for now. Goodnight Mrs. Brant." Peter states, matching her tone of voice. Saying their goodnights, Betty heads over to a taxi pulling up to them and gives Peter one last look as she enters the cab. Peter, in return, walks home with a happy expression with thoughts about how tonight was a great night for him.

TBC

* * *

**AN: So I didn't want to have Peter and Betty become a couple this chapter since Betty is still recovering from the last relationship. Plus, Peter deserves better than being the rebound guy, with that said, I wanted to show that the two are engaging in each other and I think I accomplish that.**


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